Bulldogs Picked Second In PFL Preseason Poll

Aug 09, 2010

ST. LOUIS, MO. – Butler, coming off a school-record 11-1
season and a Pioneer Football League co-championship, has been
tabbed second in the PFL’s preseason coaches’
poll. Ten-time PFL champion Dayton was picked as the
coaches’ preseason favorite.

The league’s coaches expect a repeat of the 2009 season which
came down to the final three weeks before the championship was
resolved – Butler and Dayton sharing the crown. Dayton
received four first place votes and 76 points while Butler received
two first-place votes and 69 points. Jacksonville received the four
remaining first-place votes and finished third in the preseason
poll with 68 points.

Dayton has won two of its 10 league titles in the last three
seasons, posting a 19-4 record in that span. Third-year head coach
Rick Chamberlin will see 15 starters return, including The Sports
Network’s Buchanan Award candidate James Vercammen, who was a
first-team All-PFL selection after recording a league record 134
tackles last season. However, it is the Flyers offensive unit that
returns the most experience with 10 starters returning, led by
senior quarterback Steve Valentino, the PFL’s
“Offensive Player of the Year” last season in his first
year at quarterback after receiving first-team All-PFL recognition
at wide receiver the previous season. Valentino was named to The
Sports Network’s Payton Award Watch List.

Butler earned a share of its second-ever PFL championship –
and first since 1994 – with last season’s run that
included a victory against Central Connecticut State in the final
Gridiron Classic. The Bulldogs return 17 starters from that team,
including wide receiver Zach Watkins, running back Scott Gray and
offensive lineman Donnie Gilmore who were each first-team All-PFL
selections last season. Watkins returns after leading the PFL with
a school-record 78 receptions last season. Meanwhile, Gray carried
the ball 169 times last season for 868 yards and five
touchdowns.

After winning its first PFL title in 2008, Jacksonville finished
tied for third last season and has recorded a 13-3 mark in those
two campaigns. The Dolphins return 15 starters – the most in
program history – from last season’s squad with 10
starters returning on the offensive side. Running back Rudell Small
– a two-time unanimous first-team All-PFL selection –
returns after posting 1,000-yard campaigns each of the last two
seasons, including 1,074 yards last season. Also returning is
quarterback Josh McGregor, who was a second-team All-PFL honoree
last year after throwing for a school record 2,693 yards and 31
touchdowns.

Drake returns 14 starters from last season’s team that
finished tied with Jacksonville for third place. The Bulldogs
defense accounts for eight of the team’s returning starters
after finishing second in rushing defense, limiting opponents to
81.5 rushing yards per game. Leading the defensive unit will be
2009 first-team All-PFL selection Dain Taylor – a 2010
preseason Sports Network All-America selection – who led the
team with 19.5 tackles for loss, including 10.5 quarterback sacks.
The offense will be led by fullback Steve Platek, a two-time
first-team All-PFL selection, and quarterback Michael Piatkowski
who took over the reins last season as a freshman and passed for
2,139 yards and 14 touchdowns.

San Diego rounds out the top half of the league’s preseason
poll and will look to rebound from a sixth-place finish in 2009.
The Toreros return 12 starters from last season’s team
– five on offense and six on defense – but the biggest
intrigue will reside at quarterback where Sam Scudellari and Bo
Stompro will compete for the position. Scudellari started six
games, passing for 1,004 yards, before an injury sidelined him.
Stompro took over for the final four games, passing for 824
yards.

Marist returns 11 starters from a team that posted a fifth-place
finish in its first season of PFL play. Among the Red Foxes’
three offensive returnees is wideout James LaMacchia, a unanimous
2009 first-team All-PFL selection, who recorded the program’s
first 1,000-yard receiving campaign.

Davidson returns 15 starters from 2009’s sixth-place
campaign. Running back Kenny Mantuo returns after leading the team
with 626 yards and five touchdowns on the ground last season. On
the defensive side, linebacker Daniel Astrop returns after posting
a team-best 68 tackles in 2009.

In its second season, Campbell showed progress with a pair of PFL
victories and an eighth-place league finish. The Camels return 21
starters from that team which led the PFL with 2,087 yards rushing.
The team’s three leading rushers, quarterback Daniel Polk
(572 yards), running back C.J. Oates (567) and running back Carl
Smith (463) will lead the team’s offensive attack.

Morehead State will have to replace a pair of key pieces on the
defensive side of the ball as they look to rebound from a one-win
PFL campaign last season. The Eagles lost linebacker Wes McDermott,
the 2009 PFL “Defensive Player of the Year,” and
defensive end Andrew Doan, the team’s sacks leader. Morehead
State will return the bulk of its young offensive unit, led by
quarterback Zach Lewis who played in seven of the team’s PFL
contests last season.

Valparaiso will be under new leadership in 2010 as Dale Carlson
assumes the reins. The Crusaders return 12 starters from last
season’s team, including offensive lineman Nate Blair and
defensive lineman Nikko Carson who were each honorable mention
All-PFL selections.

There are no changes to the league schedule in 2010, with each team
playing an eight-game league slate – teams will not play one
of the league members on a two-year rotational basis. The 2010
Pioneer Football League schedule gets underway Thursday, Sept. 2
when Valparaiso travels to Western Illinois. Following
Marist’s Friday, Sept. 3, contest against Sacred Heart, the
league’s other eight members hit the field on Saturday, Sept.
4. Butler will open its 2010 campaign with a non-league test
at Albion, starting at 1 p.m. (ET).